2018 Top 5 Blogs for High Performance PSAP Teams
Project profiles, tips from industry pros and the latest information on dispatch console workstations are a few of the things you’ll find on the Watson Consoles’ blog. Here are the top five blogs of 2018. Check these out and see why thousands of dispatchers are active subscribers.
The Cornerstone of Effective PSAP Workplace Design
This article follows our previous discussion about the impact of workplace design on employees. Today we’ll discuss the best way for PSAPs to prioritize workplace design elements. This includes surveying the team and creating a workstation spec that supports PSAP engagement and retention strategies.
Does Your Dispatch Center Design Boost Operator Retention?
PSAPs recognize, now more than ever, that the work-environment influences dispatcher focus, comfort, stress-management, engagement, and retention. Learn which workplace improvement is likely to give your dispatchers and your team the biggest boost.
3 Steps Help PSAPs Beat Cold and Flu Call-Outs
Experts agree that you are most at risk for catching (and sharing) viral infections between October and May. There are many surfaces in your Comm Center that harbor germs. Here are some best practices for stopping the spread of the cold and flu.
Doug W. is Designing Dispatch Furniture that PSAPs Value
As populations grow, more PSAPs are challenged to expand teams in existing spaces. This requires comm centers to rethink space planning. Each dispatcher requires local storage and access to the multiple technology systems and equipment, making space contraction a challenge. Here’s how Doug Wisser helped re-imagine the space needed to dispatch.
911 Dispatcher Desk Increases Job Satisfaction
Dispatch console workstations are one piece of the mission critical landscape. And it’s the piece we are passionate about getting right.
The Myth of the "Ergonomic Edge"
Do I need ergonomic nosing on my dispatch console?
A customer recently asked me about a blog post they read that focused on “ergonomics in the public safety dispatch center” and sited “ergonomic nosing” as an important feature for their dispatch consoles.
Lucas P. Drives 911 Workstation Design Improvement
When damage occurs to 911 dispatch consoles, repairing it can take valuable time away from dispatchers, IT specialists, and facility managers involved in solving the problem. One of latest improvements from the Watson Consoles’ product design team seeks to minimize that burden. Learn how Lucas Pearl took on one of your desk’s frequently used features.
The world of dispatching and emergency communications, continuous improvement and durable equipment, more specifically in our case, dispatch consoles, are an absolute necessity. Your console workstations must be built to last and withstand constant 24/7/365 use. One of latest improvements from the Watson Consoles team, an embedded control switch, has done just that.
911 Dispatcher Products & Environments Impact Public Safety
There is little else that epitomizes the term “love – hate relationship” like the working relationship between dispatchers and the police. At times either side can forget that they are working for the same team. And while police deal with the physical side of the job, dispatchers are no stranger to controversy, anger, animosity, stress, and mental anguish.
A dispatcher is usually the first person to deal with most incidents. They need to handle a call, or several of them, dispatch appropriate personnel, and multi-task many different functions at once. And if an incident comes in that involves a catastrophic event, even the most seasoned dispatcher can get overwhelmed.
Do Your Public Safety Dispatch Consoles Have Multi-ports?
Advances in linear dispatch console workstation design have put users first – technology integration has improved and user comfort and focus features are more efficient and effective. Teams now have outstanding options for desktop convenience power and data. What are the convenience port solutions for operators who prefer the conventional 90 degree, corner unit?
Product Updates to Watson Consoles' Mercury are better for the Operator, IT Tech and Facility Manager
Our dispatch console furniture is designed in consultation with customers like you, so we know what it takes to keep a center humming over the long haul. This series of Mercury feature enhancements increases function and improves the user experience for primary user groups including the 911 dispatch operator, IT professional and facility manager.
How to Design a PSAP to Maximize Dispatch Team Space
You just found out your dispatch center is getting a new building, and you can’t wait for the architects to finish the building design so you can start planning your new dispatch furniture layout. Not only can you not wait, you shouldn’t wait! Here’s why.
Sil B. Cares About Your 911 Dispatch Monitor Array
If you’re an emergency communications pro, you know how important it is that tools and technology stay current with public safety regulations and workplace requirements. For us, this means designing solutions that ease technology and equipment integration and access. Learn what inspired Design Engineer, Sil B., to create a better monitor array and why it matters.
Dispatcher Desk Solutions for Emerging 911 Technology
Old-school police officers can recount the days of the desk sergeant sitting with his feet up, waiting for the phone to ring and putting out calls over the one button radio. Dispatching was simpler back then. As societal norms have grown more complex, the role and technology of first responders has matched the pace.
Public safety call center technology has progressed incredibly far, allowing quicker response times and more accuracy. Technology advancement has improved nearly every aspect of dispatching. As systems advance, they have become more complex. Within the scope of modern emergency communications technology, foremost in the mind of call center administrators are systems like NG911, Firstnet, CAD and other high-end public safety management software.
5 MORE Signs you Should Invest in New 911 Dispatcher Desks
In the last installment, 5 Signs you Should Invest in New Dispatcher Desks, we shared the top reasons many PSAPs are prompted to seek funding for work station replacements. Making a case for replacement dispatcher desks and obtaining funding can be a long process. Start by identifying the need(s). Here are five MORE signs that your center may be ready for workstation replacements.
5 Signs You Should Invest in New Dispatcher Desks
Some folks think 911 dispatchers sit at the type of desks found in a corporate office. The “desks” are far more complex and provide the, literal, foundation for mission critical communications technology. Since these workstations are more complex, require an investment from the agency, and are only updated every decade or so, how can you be sure you’re in need of replacement console workstations?
Top consoles featured at premier dispatch center design expo!
When you get approval to design your new dispatch center, be ready! Demo PSAP technology, chairs, floors and workstations at the International APCO Conference Expo – The Sand’s Convention Center – August 6 and 7. Be sure to stop at booth #1215 and learn how Watson’s tech-ready, future-proof workstations enhance design and provide your agency lasting value.
Why 911 Workstation Design Impacts Your Work
For 15 years, the landscape of the modern-era PSAP remained virtually unchanged with operators sitting in pods at 90 degree corner workstations. When the 90 degree style made its debut, it was revolutionary and capably accommodated critical technology. Today, changes in technology, ergonomics and use-of-space have rendered the style outmoded. Learn why.
Designing a Future-Proof PSAP: Cable Management for Dispatch Centers
Learn how the right dispatch console work station design eases the IT burden and protects your mission critical systems.
5 Pillars of Lifetime Customer Care
It is critical that console workstation providers deliver service and resources that matter, easing the ownership burden and extending the value of your asset. This should include recommendations for getting the most out of the console amenities, tips for daily maintenance and easy-access to specialists who can answer any questions you may have along the way.
Mid-Year Round-Up: Top 5 Blogs for 911 Dispatch Center Teams
911 dispatchers and communications center managers tune in to our blog feed for project profiles, tips from industry pros and the latest information on dispatch console workstations. Here are the top five blogs of 2018. Catch up when you have a few minutes of down-time.
5 Healthy Habits for High-performance PSAPs (Free Poster)
Like so many people during this current global pandemic, our first responders and dispatchers are feeling the stress. As we review how Watson can support our critical 911 community, we find ourselves looking at a blog focusing on daily habits. While we cannot control external forces like COVID19, we can control our own actions and attitude to help keep stress levels manageable.
Originally published in 2018, these 5 active strategies to improve communications, relationships, and reduce stress still remain relevant. Download and print this 11×17 Healthy Habits poster for your mission critical team. Print it. Post it. Practice it. We hope it helps!
Watson Named Boeing Supplier of the Year
Boeing has named its 2017 Supplier of the Year Award winners, recognizing 13 companies for the high-quality products, services and value they create. Watson was honored as a distinguished Boeing Supplier of the Year. Learn more about Watson’s history with Boeing and the criteria Watson met to earn the acknowledgment.
The Purpose-Driven PSAP Pro: Prioritize What Matters Most
John Lennon once said that life is what happens when you’re making other plans, referring to the fact that, so often, what we think we want and what we actually have are two very different things. There’s nothing wrong with thinking about tomorrow, but if we don’t occasionally notice what’s going on around us today, we might be making sacrifices of which we’re not aware.
When we notice that the struggle for tomorrow has caused us to drift out of alignment with what we truly value, there’s an opportunity to do something about it. There’s an opportunity to reconnect with our “Why.”